In Japanese, the word aisuru means “to love” and I reckon it’s a fitting name for Perth’s newest restaurant Aisuru Sushi.

Perched on the prominent corner of William and James streets in Northbridge, the white walls and minimal décor may not catch your attention but the food certainly will. Aisuru Sushi has lovingly created a collection of innovative dishes you won’t find anywhere else in the city.

Are old faithfuls like edamame and California rolls on the menu? Sure. Would you be a fool to order them? We’re afraid so. Instead, do what we did and ask for the chef’s recommendation. He’s right in front of you rolling sushi in the open kitchen, so why not? He’ll recommend you start with the Sweet Corn Tempura. Watch him cut the kernels straight from the cob before frying them in tempura batter. He’ll then drizzle them with truffle oil and spicy shichimi togarashi flakes. The sweet-salty-crunchy-spicy combination will make you want to kiss the cook. Careful – he’s got a knife.

You can’t visit Aisuru Sushi without tasting the sushi, so give the Hawaiian Roll a try. It’s a wacky combination of mango, avocado and crab topped with salmon. Yes, most Japanese would giggle at the combination but that doesn’t make it any less yum.

There’s certainly a lot to love about Aisuru Sushi. Now if only they’d do something with those walls…